FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MARCH 30, 2017 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 59 SOPHIA’S HAIR STUDIO • KIDS CUTS - $12 • CUT ONLY - $22 • BLOW OUT - $25 • BLOW OUT/MASK - $29 • WASH/CUT/BLOW - $37 HOLIDAY SPECIALS • SINGLE PROCESS COLOR - $37 • ROOT TOUCH-UP/CUT/BLOW - $67 • HI-LITES/CUT/BLOW - $65 - $162 • BYO COLOR/CUT/BLOW - $57 • KERATIN TREATMENT - $125-$150 *Long Hair Extra Gift Certificates Available Owned & Operated by Aveda Stylist MENTION THIS AD AND GET 10% OFF NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY BEST HAIR COLOR 214-26 41st AVE. • BAYSIDE • 718-428-3707 dining out Love and Crêpes BY SEAN CURRY “Crêpes and wine go together like a marriage.” Parvez Eliaas, owner of Bonjour Crêpes and Wine on 30th Avenue in Astoria, can make that comparison with authority. Aft er years of working under renowned chef Daniel Boulud, Parvez branched off to start his own venture two years ago. To pick his cuisine, he didn’t hire a market research agency or spin the big wheel of food trends — he looked down at his own dinner plate. His wife cooks the best crêpe he’s ever had. “My wife’s family is in Hungary,” he said. “If we visit there for a month, 15 days are crêpes. We eat them for everything.” And thus, Bonjour Crêpes and Wine was born. Being a man about to embark on a marriage journey myself, I pressed him for more: How does one balance savory and sweet? How important is starting with the right batter? Did you get a priest to bless the crêpes, or a Justice of the Peace? Among other things — local ingredients, starting from scratch, and knowing your subject inside and out — for Eliaas, it all comes down to one key thing: Using your hands. “Everyone eats a crêpe with a knife and fork, but I want them to eat them the way they do in France, with their hands,” Eliaas said. “A knife and a fork ruins the balance of the fl avors.” Always eager to roll up my sleeves, that was all I needed to hear to dig in. Our fi rst savory crêpe came out right off the griddle and into our hands: chicken, pesto, tomato and spinach with gooey Gruyere spilling out the corners. Th e chicken had been slow-cooked in French butter with onion, salt, pepper and garlic, all in-house and with local ingredients. Th e pesto bounced off my tongue immediately and was wonderful alongside the tomatoes, which were just heated up enough to start being interesting without losing their texture. Next was a ham crêpe with more Gruyere and a house-made tomato sauce. While the ham may have been prepared from scratch in the Hungarian tradition, it tasted exactly how I remember big holiday hams growing up. Get ready to fl ash back to your earliest years. Th e Gruyere was also more prevalent here, hitting my taste buds right on the fi rst bite. Th e fi nal savory crêpe of the night was a gluten-free goat cheese crêpe made with buckwheat fl our. I haven’t had much buckwheat before, but I can tell you that this fl our was WORKING. Th ere was defi nitely a diff erent taste than what I’m used to — almost cinnamon y, if I’m being honest — but it was delightful along with the goat cheese. Th e sweet crêpes were up next, leading with a bacon off ering. Bacon, of course, needs no introduction, but if you haven’t been introduced to Bacon’s aft erhours alter ego, Dessert Bacon, then you need correct that fast. Dessert Bacon, here being regular bacon paired with a freshly melted bittersweet chocolate and juicy strawberries, will blow your mind straight out the back of your head. Th e sweetness and the savory playing around in my mouth alone earned Bonjour Crêpes another visit in the future. A crème fraîche crêpe with blueberries and strawberries followed shortly behind the bacon. While personally I’m not a big fan of crème fraîche, I could tell that this crêpe was doing what it set out to do very well. If you’re into crème fraîche, you’ll really enjoy the little pops of blueberry juice swirling in and amongst the tartness. It’s worth a trip. Th ere’s truly something for everyone at Bonjour Crêpes and Wine. Love breakfast? Dinner? Th ey’ve got a crêpe for you. Like savory, or prefer sweet? Guess what — they’ve got a crêpe for you.
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